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GCSE English and English Literature Revision You will take three exam papers, just like the mock exams, one on Literature and two on Language. This page tells you the areas you will need to revise carefully and how to prepare.
We will cover as much in lessons as posisble but revising carefully can increase your grade and could make a huge difference. Put simply, the more time you spend re-reading the novel and poems, thinking about them and practising planning exam answers, the higher the grade you will get for your final exams. How to prepare: Plan your revision timetable: e.g 30 minutes on one poem each night. Look back at the mock papers you did in Years 10 and 11 — check how you can avoid making similar mistakes (if any!) and where you can make improvements. Ask your teacher about anything you don't understand. Read over any notes you have been given. Check websites - look on the links page here; there are podcasts, guides etc etc Download lesson materials and notes from this site and read them!
| Literature Paper
You have 45 minutes in which to write an essay on 'Of Mice and Men' (or the set text you have studied) and an hour to write an essay on poems from the Anthology: 1¾ hours in all.
Novel
'Of Mice and Men' by John Steinbeck Poems
From the Anthology by Carol Ann Duffy, Simon Armitage and Pre-1914 Reread the poems carefully as well as your notes and practice essays. Remember that you have to write about two pre-20th century poems in the exam and one by both Carol Ann Duffy and Simon Armitage - four poems in all. Make sure that you write about the What? and the How? for each poem. Practise comparing the poems – in columns or charts, or essays. Read the revision notes your teacher has provided. Use the links - there are podcasts, games, notes etc available. Make your own notes using the MITSL resource.
| Language Paper 1
Non-Fiction
You should spend about an hour on Section A. Read the material in the question paper carefully, Give a short answer to each question. · what the aim of the writing is
· what techniques are used to present the information
Writing You have 45 mins to produce a piece of writing that argues, persuades or advises. Practice by studying articles in newspapers and magazines, advertisements and leaflets. Make sure you are aware of what different writing purposes require. Practice writing in these styles. Make use of the links and resources on this website - bbc.co.uk is a good starting point.
Language Paper 2
Poetry
You have 45 minutes to write a short essay on 'Poems from Different Cultures'.
Practice planning and answering questions to time. Make sure you are able to write about the language and style of the poems. Read any note you have been given. Check out the links section on this website - there are podcasts, notes, revision exercises etc.
Writing
You have 45 minutes to produce a piece of writing to inform, explain or describe. Make sure that you have developed a way of planning your descriptions, stories, etc. This is something that the examiners are really keen on. Revise this section in just as much detail as all of the others. Some assume you don't need to revise but you need to be sure you understand how to use stylistic features, punctuation etc for effect.
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